49 counties · Boom Town Index

Ohio

Avg BTI Score
65 / 100
Population
10.5M
+0.2% avg growth
National Rank
#11 of 51

State Overview

Ohio's economy in 2025-2026 is experiencing a period of rebalancing, with a focus on advanced manufacturing, energy, and life sciences sectors. Major investments, such as Intel's semiconductor plant in Central Ohio and Amgen's biopharmaceutical campus, are driving job creation and capital investment across the state. While the state saw a slight decline in overall employment in 2025, specific sectors like goods-producing and health care are expanding.

The housing market is characterized by affordability and tight inventory, particularly in metropolitan areas like Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Dayton. Home prices are projected to appreciate modestly, with Columbus seeing consistent growth. State policy changes in 2025 addressed property tax reform and introduced new residential development programs, aiming to improve affordability and encourage housing production. However, migration data indicates a shift, with Ohio ranking lower in U-Haul's 2025 Growth Index, suggesting a net outflow of one-way customers.

Median Household Income
$67,934
State median across 49 counties
Median Home Value
$186,800
Income-to-home ratio: 0.35
Building Permits
31,264
Total residential permits
Natural Amenity
4.3 / 10
#42 of 49 · USDA scale

Ohio Counties

49 counties
Rank County BTI Score Safety Proj. Growth GDP Pop Growth Income Ratio Home Price Climate P/R
01 Allen County 100 C +4.1% — -0.3% +3.3% 5.5x +7.7% -2.4 12x
02 Ashland County 97 B +3.7% — -0.1% +7.5% 10.4x +6.2% -2.8 18x
03 Muskingum County 97 B+ +1.5% — +0.0% +2.7% 8.1x +1.7% 0.4 15x
04 Trumbull County 95 C +3.0% — -0.2% +2.5% 8.2x +7.9% -2.1 11x
05 Richland County 94 B- +3.2% — -0.0% +3.2% 8.0x +8.2% -2.9 15x
06 Athens County 91 B+ +2.4% — +0.3% +4.0% 10.5x +4.8% -0.0 18x
07 Clark County 91 C +1.8% — -0.2% +3.8% 9.5x +4.5% -2.0 12x
08 Wayne County 90 A -0.2% — -0.0% +2.5% 9.0x +4.3% -3.2 14x
09 Marion County 89 B- +3.3% — -0.2% +3.6% 7.7x +6.9% -3.9 15x
10 Washington County 87 B +2.3% — -0.6% +3.7% 7.0x +5.8% 0.2 18x
11 Jefferson County 86 C+ +1.4% — -0.5% +3.6% 7.8x +2.9% -0.8 12x
12 Darke County 84 B- +3.3% — -0.1% -0.3% 9.1x +7.2% -3.3 18x
13 Mahoning County 84 D +2.9% — -0.2% +2.5% 7.0x +6.6% -1.7 12x
14 Summit County 83 D +2.3% — -0.0% +0.8% 6.6x +4.1% -2.4 14x
15 Ashtabula County 83 D +2.9% — -0.2% +4.0% 10.7x +6.1% -0.9 16x
16 Portage County 83 B+ +2.7% — +0.3% +4.0% 10.6x +4.3% -2.2 13x
17 Miami County 82 B +2.3% — +0.7% +3.6% 10.5x +3.5% -2.3 13x
18 Huron County 81 B+ +2.7% — -0.2% +2.9% 8.2x +6.0% -3.1 16x
19 Medina County 80 A +2.5% — +0.3% +2.5% 13.8x +4.0% -3.2 13x
20 Columbiana County 78 B+ +1.4% — -0.5% -0.5% 10.5x +2.4% -0.2 17x
21 Geauga County 78 B +2.2% — 0.0% +7.0% 14.7x +3.9% -2.5 12x
22 Hancock County 77 B +1.9% — -0.0% +4.9% 5.4x +2.4% -2.6 13x
23 Lake County 74 B+ +2.4% — +0.1% +3.8% 8.1x +3.6% -0.4 13x
24 Sandusky County 72 B+ +2.7% — +0.0% -0.3% 7.1x +4.6% -2.5 17x
25 Seneca County 71 B- +2.2% — -0.2% +1.6% 8.9x +4.8% -3.4 15x
26 Lorain County 68 C+ +2.6% — +0.8% +3.8% 12.2x +5.0% -0.3 14x
27 Scioto County 67 C +3.1% — -0.7% +2.1% 7.7x +7.0% -1.0 16x
28 Stark County 67 C+ +2.2% — -0.0% +3.3% 7.7x +4.5% -2.5 15x
29 Clermont County 64 B+ +1.4% — +0.6% +2.8% 14.9x +2.9% -0.1 13x
30 Knox County 62 B- +2.8% — +0.4% -0.1% 12.8x +5.6% -2.9 21x
31 Tuscarawas County 61 B+ +2.1% — -0.2% +0.8% 8.6x +7.2% -0.3 17x
32 Greene County 59 B+ +2.0% — +0.7% +2.5% 7.3x +3.5% -2.0 14x
33 Wood County 55 B +0.7% — +0.2% +1.5% 6.9x +0.8% -2.8 12x
34 Licking County 54 B +1.5% — +0.8% +4.2% 10.8x +3.3% -0.6 13x
35 Cuyahoga County 52 F +2.0% — -0.3% +2.6% 4.5x +4.5% -0.6 11x
36 Erie County 51 B +1.1% — -0.5% +5.2% 7.9x +1.2% -0.9 18x
37 Hamilton County 51 D +1.3% — +0.3% +2.3% 5.0x +2.0% -1.4 13x
38 Lucas County 47 D +2.1% — -0.2% +3.5% 5.6x +4.7% -0.9 11x
39 Lawrence County 44 C+ +1.3% — -1.0% +6.3% 11.7x +4.2% -1.1 14x
40 Montgomery County 43 D +1.6% — +0.1% +2.7% 6.0x +4.3% -2.2 12x
41 Butler County 42 B- +1.8% — +0.8% +0.5% 9.2x +3.2% -1.6 14x
42 Franklin County 38 D -0.2% — +0.9% +1.9% 6.4x +0.2% -2.4 16x
43 Belmont County 34 B+ +0.8% — -0.8% -2.4% 9.5x +3.4% 0.1 16x
44 Fairfield County 28 B+ +0.1% — +1.3% +4.5% 18.2x +1.5% -0.2 15x
45 Pickaway County 25 B +0.6% — +1.2% +1.5% 16.1x +4.0% -2.2 21x
46 Ross County 21 B +1.2% — -0.3% +2.5% 7.7x +2.4% -1.1 16x
47 Delaware County 19 A -0.3% — +2.6% +2.6% 13.2x +0.4% -1.6 24x
48 Warren County 16 A +0.8% — +1.5% +2.1% 12.2x +1.4% -1.1 15x
49 Union County 4 B+ -1.3% — +3.1% +2.6% 8.4x +1.3% -3.5 18x

Capital Investment in Ohio

Tracked Projects · Public Records
$107.7B
Total tracked investment
25,510
Jobs announced
187
Projects across 45 counties

Where the money is going

Energy $48.6B 45%
Data Centers $46.3B 43%
Manufacturing $7.0B 6%
Commercial/Residential $2.8B 3%
Infrastructure $1.6B 2%
Industrial/Logistics $667M 1%

Top counties by investment

  1. 01 Scioto County $34.4B
    5 projects · 270 jobs
  2. 02 Greene County $14.3B
    5 projects · 1,100 jobs
  3. 03 Trumbull County $5.7B
    5 projects · 500 jobs
  4. 04 Warren County $5.5B
    6 projects · 2,525 jobs
  5. 05 Fairfield County $4.5B
    5 projects · 737 jobs
  6. 06 Mahoning County $4.3B
    6 projects · 284 jobs

Largest projects in Ohio

Project County Amount Status
Portsmouth Powered Land Project (Natural Gas Plant)
SB Energy (SoftBank subsidiary) · Energy
 Scioto County $33.0B Proposed
Project Hummingbird Data Center Campus
Essential Utilities & International Electric Power (IEP) · Data Centers · 1,000 jobs
 Greene County $10.0B Proposed
AWS Data Center (Xenia)
Amazon Web Services (AWS) · Data Centers · 100 jobs
 Greene County $4.0B Under Construction
Stargate AI Data Center Campus
OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank · Data Centers
 Trumbull County $3.6B Under Construction
Lordstown Data Center Campus (Stargate Project)
Bristolville 25 Developer LLC (in collaboration with OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank Group Corp.) · Data Centers · 134 jobs
 Mahoning County $3.6B Proposed
Amazon Data Center
Amazon · Data Centers · 200 jobs
 Warren County $3.0B Planned
Ultium Cells Battery Cell Manufacturing Facility
Ultium Cells LLC (GM & LG Energy Solution joint venture) · Manufacturing · 2,200 jobs
 Warren County $2.3B Operating
Vantage Data Centers OH2 - Millersport Campus
Vantage Data Centers Management Company, LLC · Data Centers · 37 jobs
 Fairfield County $2.1B Planned
→ Methodology · How We Tracked $4T Across 858 Counties

Source: public records, corporate announcements, state EDC filings. Tracking projects with $25M+ in announced investment or 500+ jobs. Some figures are estimates where exact totals weren't disclosed.

Ohio shaded relief terrain map
SRTM 30m shaded relief
State Spotlight · 2026-04-29

Ohio's economy rebalances with manufacturing and infrastructure investments

Driving economic growth

Major capital investments are fueling growth in specific Ohio regions. Intel's semiconductor plant in New Albany and Amgen's biopharmaceutical campus near Columbus are creating thousands of jobs and substantial new payroll. Additionally, Centrus is expanding its uranium enrichment facility in Piketon, adding jobs in southern Ohio's energy sector.

Housing market trends

Ohio's housing market is experiencing steady price appreciation, with forecasts of 2-4% growth in 2026 across key markets like Cincinnati and Dayton. Central Ohio, particularly the Columbus area, saw median home prices in the $315,000 to $320,000 range in early 2026, with moderate year-over-year increases. Inventory remains tight in major metros, contributing to buyer competition.

Migration patterns

Ohio experienced a significant drop in U-Haul's 2025 Growth Index, falling to 43rd from 14th in 2024, indicating a net loss of one-way customers. While the state attracted a net gain of over 1,000 people in 2023, primarily international migrants, domestic migration has been challenging. Columbus and its surrounding suburbs, such as Marysville and Delaware, continue to attract new residents.

Headwinds and risks

Ohio saw a decline in overall employment in 2025, with a loss of 5,600 jobs between December 2024 and December 2025, primarily in service sectors and federal government. The state's labor force participation rate also decreased. Outdated zoning codes and a shortage of attainably-priced homes continue to pressure the housing market.

Key facts

  • Ohio Department of Transportation is undertaking a record-breaking $3.4 billion construction season in 2026, including 977 new projects statewide. (Ohio Department of Transportation, March 2026)
  • Ohio enacted comprehensive property tax reform in December 2025, expected to deliver over $3 billion in relief to homeowners, with changes taking effect with 2026 tax bills. (Ohio REALTORS®, December 2025)
  • JobsOhio launched a Relocation Incentive in 2025 to attract STEM and experienced talent to the state, utilized by over 200 employers across all seven regions. (JobsOhio, January 2026)
  • The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is projected to average around 6% in 2026, down from approximately 7% at the start of 2025. (National Association of REALTORS®, January 2026)
  • Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus was ranked the best large employer in Ohio for 2026 by Forbes. (Forbes, February 2026)
Updated 2026-04-29 · grounded research
19 sources
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